


Take me out to the 90’s

by Mistehri



Series: 「 Insider 」: Ode to Soonyoung & Jihoon [13]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Crack, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi is Whipped, Lee Jihoon | Woozi is Whipped, M/M, Making Out, Mentioned Boo Seungkwan, Mentioned Jeon Wonwoo, Minor Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan, Minor Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu, Romance, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:28:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26904394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistehri/pseuds/Mistehri
Summary: Jihoon is comfortable with loving Soonyoung from afar, but of course, the campus' heartthrob doesn’t make it easy for him. What is he supposed to do when said heartthrob kisses him out of the blue when he’s drunk?
Relationships: Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Jihoon | Woozi
Series: 「 Insider 」: Ode to Soonyoung & Jihoon [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1944688
Comments: 14
Kudos: 218





	Take me out to the 90’s

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, this was because of the concept photos, and yes, I wrote this because of Soonyoung’s mullet.
> 
> Not edited.
> 
> Enjoy reading! ❤

Jihoon wasn’t expecting anything different to happen from his otherwise normal routine today. From struggling to open his eyes and hissing like a vampire when the first rays of sunlight slap him in the face, to throwing a pillow in Mingyu’s direction in an attempt to get him to shut off the _damn_ alarm clock they both share because they’re both known to be heavy sleepers, Jihoon really hadn’t been expecting anything different to happen from his normal routine. 

Perhaps maybe he’s been working on fixing his sleep schedule considering final exams are starting next week, and he’s notorious for both things: sleeping in for 17 hours straight, or staying up until the wee hours of the morning with the help of three cans of caffeinated drinks and an unhealthy amount of iced ramen. Other than trying to reduce the amount of salty and sweet in his self-proclaimed diet, there is no reason for his routine to change.

Until there is one, that is.

Now here’s the thing — today was supposed to be a normal day. Normal, as in wake up — or try to, at least — muster the strength to actually move, take a shower, throw on his usual outfit, and maybe eat a decent breakfast that isn’t just black coffee for once. 

This particular day though, everything began unusually _different._

For one thing, he woke up early today without the help of an alarm, and scarily enough, he didn’t feel as cranky as he usually would when he doesn’t get enough sleep. Waking up early for him only happens once in a blue moon, and for him to be in a good mood is even rarer. As strangely confused as he is, with good reason too, he doesn’t dare complain about the lack of exhaustion in his limbs. He decides to cherish the feeling instead, knowing that he’ll go back to being a grump tomorrow morning anyway.

He swings his legs over his bed where the ladder is. Stretching his body like a cat, he grabs a hold of his sheets and proceeds to twist his back on both sides, a satisfied sigh escaping his lips when he feels his cramped joints popping into relaxation. He spends a good two minutes just sitting there for a moment, basking in the content feeling in his chest before he slides down the ladder of the bunk bed and heads for the shower, grabbing a towel and his clothes along the way.

After ten minutes of showering and humming quietly under his breath, he steps out of the bathroom smelling like his favorite pumpkin spice shampoo and rosemary body wash. Surprisingly enough, picking out his outfit for the day was also relaxing for him to do, especially since he has extra time to think it over his limited amount of choices. In the end, he opts for a plain black shirt with ripped jeans and throws on his favorite red flannel. 

He’s about to make a grab for his backpack so he can fit in some breakfast in his stomach before his classes start, but his eyes accidentally catch Mingyu’s sleeping figure in the bottom bunk. Contemplating for a moment, then two, he sighs and turns back around.

 _Maybe I’ll be nice today,_ he thinks, then proceeds to walk over and jab Mingyu in his rib sharply.

“What the — ow!” Mingyu’s raspy voice croaks, his tall body rolling over as his head jerks up in surprise. He reaches up to rub the sleep out of his eyes, then looks up at Jihoon groggily. “Am I still dreaming? Hyung? Shit, what time is it? I slept in again, didn’t I?’

Jihoon shrugs, throwing his body on the beanbag in the corner of their dorm room. “I woke up a bit earlier than usual,” he says, sinking into the softness of the fabric. “We still have an hour, so get up. If you decide to sleep in, I’m going to the canteen to get breakfast without you.”

Mingyu braces himself on his elbows to rub at his eyes again. “Shit, okay, wait. Give me, like, five minutes.”

Five minutes go by longer than it should feel like, but then Mingyu is groggily getting up and trudging into the bathroom. 

Jihoon decides to pass time by scrolling through his social media apps, liking some posts of Seungcheol and Jeonghan and responding to some questionable comments and replies from Seokmin. He’s about to exit out of the app when Mingyu comes out of the bathroom in a black printed shirt, a camo jacket and jeans, but then he sees _it._

“It” meaning in the form of one Kwon Soonyoung, the campus’ heartthrob who has women and men falling for him left and right, Jihoon’s long time crush of four years, with red hair and a mullet. _A fucking mullet,_ and, _dear christ almighty, is he wearing contacts?!_

“Oh my god!” he hollers, hands shaking as he zooms in on the picture to get a better look. “Oh my fucking god! Good fucking morning to me! What the fuck?!”

In front of him, Mingyu jumps at his sudden yelling. “What’s wrong?” he shouts back, rushing beside Jihoon and nearly falling into the beanbag chair himself to peer at the older man’s phone. “What happened? Did Wonwoo-hyung post something today?! I’ve been waiting for _months_ now but his feed is as dry as your throat is when Soonyoung-hyung lands in your field of vision!”

“What the — no, you dimwit! This isn’t about you!” Jihoon scoffs, shoving his phone in Mingyu’s face. “Look! Just _look_ at him! And mind you, my throat does _not_ get dry when I see Soonyoung, thank you very much. Anyway, back to the topic that truly matters — _look. at. him!”_

Mingyu flinches from the screen pressed against the tip of his nose. Rearing back a bit, he squints at the screen and tilts his head. He stays like that for a good few seconds, and Jihoon can see his eyes flickering back and forth over the screen.

“Okay,” Mingyu says slowly. “...what about him?”

“His _mullet_ , Gyu!” Jihoon exclaims, taking his phone back to stare at Soonyoung’s picture. “Look how good he looks with a mullet! He — He’s unreal!” 

He sinks lower into the beanbag with a wistful sigh, even pouting a little. He ignores Mingyu’s obvious eye roll towards him, deciding wasting his breakfast to stare at Soonyoung’s face a little longer is more beneficial to him than wasting his time tackling Mingyu for the blatant disrespect. 

“Okay, well, I think we should head to the canteen soon when you’re done ogling your lover boy,” Mingyu drawls, swiping his bag from the rack on the wall. “After what you just did to me, I’ve worked up an appetite.”

Rolling his eyes, Jihoon saves Soonyoung’s photo into his gallery and pockets his phone. Walking over, he grabs his bag and swings it over his shoulder.

“Let’s go then.”

—

It’s 8:55 a.m. when Jihoon finds himself sitting in his seat and loading up the computer screen in front of him. There’s a couple of other students around him already bobbing their heads to the music in their headphones and oddly enough, there’s twice the amount of chairs there’s supposed to be. It’s five minutes before his music production class starts and he’s got a pretty nice melody that’s been running through his head that he’d like to transfer onto the screen before he forgets. 

He’s already playing some notes on the midi keyboard in front of him when the bell rings, interrupting the melody in his head and making it distort slightly. He lets out a groan, saving his progress on the computer just as more students begin to pour in and fill the empty seats around him.

The professor comes in a few minutes later than everyone else, a cheeky grin on his face as he takes his spot in front of the class.

“Good morning, class,” he greets, clasping his hands behind his back. “As you all dread it, it’s finals week next week — ” Multiple groans flitter through the class, and the professor chuckles. “I won’t be wasting any necessary time of yours, so I’ll explain what your final exam is this year. It’s quite different from what we’ve done before but I’m confident each and every one of you will pass.” He pauses. “Well, most of you anyway.”

“What does that mean, ssaem?” Seungcheol complains next to Jihoon.

The professor’s smile widens. “A good question, Seungcheol,” he says. “The music department as a whole decided it would be a good idea for the music production students and the dance students to collaborate for the exams this year — ”

Instantaneously, the room begins to fill with protests and complaints. The professor holds out his hand as a gesture to stop.

“Hear me out first,” he says. “The music production students and the dance students will collaborate this year for their final exam. We think it will be a good idea considering you share an obvious interest — music. We have decided that for you to pass this exam — as well as for the dance students — you should be able to create an original track that is made solely by you and your partner — ”

“Wait, partner?” someone interrupts from the front.

The professor nods, beaming. “I’m getting there,” he says. “As for the dance students, they will have to create an original choreography using your original track, and this is where the partners come in. Each one of you will be partnered with someone from the dance department, and you’ll be helping each other along the way. Sounds good? Good.”

Nobody speaks, most of them in disbelief by what the professor had just dropped on them. Jihoon doesn’t particularly care who he’s paired up, that’s the _least_ of his worries. What he’s really concerned about is the fact that someone _other_ than him will have to listen to his music, a part of him he doesn’t really share often with other people.

“If nobody has any complaints, then bring in the dance students!” the professor beams, making a grand gesture with his hands towards the door.

Everyone’s heads whip towards the door in even _more_ disbelief as students from the dance department begin piling in with their choreographer, lining themselves up against the walls and all of them looking excited. It’s a hilarious contrast to the expressions on the students’ faces from the music production department, but Jihoon isn’t really too focused on the contrast as much as he is when he sees Kwon _fucking_ Soonyoung standing by the door.

 _H-Holy shit,_ he thinks to himself faintly, struggling to keep his eyes away from the heartthrob. _He looks better in person...how_ — _how is that possible?_

“I hope all of you are looking forward to this exam of yours,” the choreographer says playfully, giving them a knowing look. “Your professor and I have already chosen and discussed who will be partnered with who beforehand to give you the maximum amount of time you need for this exam. And there will be absolutely _no_ switching of partners or working alone, understood?”

Like that, groans flitter throughout the classroom again.

“If nobody has any other further complaints, we will go ahead and announce the partners,” the choreographer continues, nodding towards the professor.

The professor clears his throat. “First up, we have Kim Jaehyun from the dance department and Lee Jeongmyeon from the production department. Next up, we have Sohn Minki from the dance department and Yoon Jongmin from the production department…”

Jihoon tunes out the next few names being called, instead fiddling with the layout on his computer and rearranging some tracks around to better fit his imagination. Had it not been for his years of experience in multitasking, he probably would’ve missed his name being called.

“Kwon Soonyoung from the dance department and Lee Jihoon from the production department.”

Jihoon, who’d been in the middle of taking in a deep sigh as a result of getting the arrangements to where he wants them, feels his throat constrict abruptly at the sound of the name before his. He coughs loudly, feeling his face heat with embarrassment when a few heads turn to look at him instinctively. He bows his head with red ears when he catches Soonyoung’s eyes from across the classroom, and his heart flutters wildly at the minimal contact despite being a good few feet away from each other.

 _I’m working with Soonyoung,_ he thinks nervously, his heart suddenly jumping in his throat at the thought. He licks his lips and reaches up to fiddle with his earring. _Oh god, I’m working with SOONYOUNG. Shit, does he even know who I am?!_

He tunes out the rest of the agenda after that, mind buzzing with excitement yet his heart thudding with anxiety. He has a hard time trying to concentrate on his supposed plan for his track, and all his mind is full of is Kwon Soonyoung, being partnered with Kwon Soonyoung, actually _working_ with Kwon Soonyoung, and did he mention Kwon _fucking_ Soonyoung? He thinks he might pass out.

Seungcheol gives him a side eye, biting down on his lip and snorting quietly. It’s apparent he knows about Jihoon’s _terribly_ obvious crush on the dancer. “You good, bro?”

Jihoon clasps his fingers together and clenches hard, facing Seungcheol with a gritted smile. “Peachy,” he bites out when, in fact, he is anything _but_ peachy.

Seungcheol pats his hand with a silent grin, and they both wait for further instructions.

“We have given you the instructions already,” the professor says once he reads off the last pair. “It is up to you now to take advantage of the free leisure time we’re giving you to work together on your exam. Please use this time wisely to pair up and get to know each other. We have already given you all the criteria you are supposed to meet. We are hoping to see pleasing results from you lot.”

Jihoon feels his nerves bundle up as the dance students begin making their way in between seats to meet up with their partners, and he feels his ears slowly beginning to heat up when he catches Soonyoung making his way towards him from the corner of his eye. He’s got a friendly grin on his face, his cute teeth peeking out in between petal pink lips, cheeks bunched up adorably and making his eyes squint from the force of it.

 _Dear god,_ Jihoon begs internally, slowly lowering his headphones to his neck with trembling fingers as Soonyoung comes closer and closer. _Get me out of here now. I know I’ve been wishing to talk to Soonyoung for a long time now but not like this. I am not gonna survive this without embarrassing myself_ —

“Hi!” chirps Soonyoung, taking a seat beside him. “Jihoonie, right?”

 _Jihoonie,_ Jihoon screams internally, ducking his head. _He freaking called me Jihoonie! Okay, I’ll legally change my name to Jihoonie if you keep calling me that! Maybe you can call me something other than Jihoonie like, I don’t know_ — _baby? Love? Darling? I’m fine with those too_ —

“Um,” Soonyoung says after a few moments of silence. “I’m sorry, did I get it wrong? Are you not Jihoon, or do you not like the nickname? I’m sorry, I just really like giving out nicknames — ”

“No,” blurts Jihoon when he remembers he’s supposed to respond. He pauses, backtracking on what he said when he sees the confused look on Soonyoung’s face. “Wait, no, I mean — yes! I’m Jihoon. Um...Jihoon — _Jihoonie_ — you can call me Jihoonie. That’s fine too.”

He’s pretty sure his whole face resembles a tomato by the end of his stuttering mess, but Soonyoung sends him another heart wrenching smile before he can beat himself up for it too much. 

“Okay, Jihoonie,” he beams. “I’m Soonyoung, but you can call me soon.”

“Soon…?” Jihoon trails off, then catches Soonyoung’s wink and feels his ears heat up again. He giggles nervously, fiddling with his keyboard. “Oh, um...o-okay, but, um — ” _Shit._ “I, uh, don’t have your...your number though.”

Soonyoung’s smile becomes impossibly bigger. “I was hoping you’d say that,” he says, pulling out his phone.

 _What do you mean you were hoping I’d say that?!_ Jihoon cries mentally, having the sudden urge to just bury his head in his elbows and never show his face to the world ever again. _Does that mean anything?! Or do you just say that whenever you want someone’s number?_

“Here, put in your number,” Soonyoung says, sliding his phone towards Jihoon’s direction. “I have a feeling we’ll be meeting up a lot throughout this exam of ours, so let’s do well together, okay?”

Jihoon nods, almost vigorously, taking Soonyoung’s phone and inputting his number. Gnawing on his lip as he debates internally on what to put his contact name as, he hesitantly saves his name under a simple _‘Jihoonie’_ and leaves it at that, sliding the dancer's phone back.

“Nice,” Soonyoung says with a pleased grin, and it sends butterflies swarming inside Jihoon’s tummy. “What’s this you’re working on?” He gestures to the computer in front of them curiously. “Is it finished? Do you mind if I listen to it?”

“Oh, this?” Jihoon asks rhetorically, fiddling with the mouse. “It’s just something I was working on in my free time. It’s really nothing special but it’s still under the works so it probably doesn’t sound very good right now. Besides, your ears should be blessed with something more nicer sounding, you know — ” He abruptly clamps his mouth shut as soon as the last statement leaves his lips, eyes wide as he slaps a hand over his mouth.

 _Oh my god, Lee Jihoon, you are the idiot of all idiots,_ he thinks to himself, feeling his face turn an alarming shade of red when Soonyoung chuckles at him. _What the hell is going on with you?_

“Uh,” he utters weakly, a nervous laugh escaping him as he takes his headphones off completely and sets it on the table. “Sorry, that, uh...that wasn’t supposed to come out. I’m just — really awkward around...people.”

“No worries!” Soonyoung flashes him a reassuring smile. “I’m awkward with people too, but you’re cute so why not shoot my shot?” _What._ “Also, my ears have already been blessed by the sound of your laughter, so I’m sure whatever you’ve created is even more of a blessing and a miracle combined, no?”

Jihoon almost reaches up to slap himself, having a hard time digesting the fact that he is, in fact, _not_ dreaming and yes, what he’s experiencing is something _real_. Nonetheless, he can’t believe what he’s hearing. 

“What,” he croaks pathetically, heartbeat pounding loudly in his ears and blood rushing to his head. “Um, I — is that — _huh._ I mean — thanks…? What — What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Soonyoung grins mischievously at him and shrugs. “Whatever you think it means,” he says mysteriously.

 _WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!_ Jihoon internally screeches, baffled.

Soonyoung gestures to the headphones on the table. “Do you mind if I have a listen? I want to get started as soon as possible so we have time to make touch ups before the exam is due.” 

Wordlessly, still not quite functioning properly, Jihoon slides the headphones over and sits with his thoughts for a minute, mind running a mile a second. He doesn’t have the heart to tell Soonyoung he’s uncomfortable letting anyone hear his songs — and yes, surprisingly enough, that does include his crush of four years — so he stays quiet, anxiety swelling in his chest as he distracts himself by studying Soonyoung’s side profile instead.

From the signature slantage of his eyes to the gentle curve of his nose and his naturally pouty lips, everything about Soonyoung’s features is just so soft yet sharp. His cheeks, which have slimmed down considerably from what Jihoon remembers four years ago, still have a bit of fat in them that he so desperately just wants to squish between his palms. Maybe he also wants to kiss that pout off Soonyoung’s lips too.

From this angle, he can also see Soonyoung’s mullet more clearly, and a lot closer too. He internally swoons at the sight, feeling his fingers twitch where they’re clasped with each other. The urge to just reach out and stroke through the long strands is strong, but for the sake of what’s left of his dignity, he decides to save himself from embarrassment and keep to himself. Maybe one day he’ll muster up enough courage to pet Soonyoung’s hair but that day won’t be today, or maybe even _ever._ He sighs mournfully at the thought.

“ — hoonie? Are you okay?”

Blinking, Jihoon comes back from his thoughts and stares at Soonyoung, who’s looking back at him with an amused expression. He feels his face flush again because _oh shit,_ he’s been caught staring at him like an idiot. 

“Yes,” he says weakly, reaching up to fiddle with his earring again. “Um, so...how was it?”

Like that, Soonyoung begins to go on a rant, looking excited as he speaks, “I really like it! I love everything about it so far! I’m really into the vibe it gives off, you know? It sounds so delicate but it’s perfect to be considered a ballad! And oh god, don’t get me started on that hook, Jihoonie, it’s so good…”

Jihoon really doesn’t mean to, especially when it’s _Soonyoung_ venting to him, but he can’t help it when he tunes out the rest of his rant to stare adoringly at him instead. He feels a smile crawl on his face as he watches Soonyoung express himself through hand gestures. He’s a true dancer down to the heart indeed. His eyes are sparkling, a slight smile tugging at the edges of his lips as he gestures continuously to the screen as though Jihoon even has a clue on what he’s talking about anymore.

“...and I think you could use some sort of synthesizer in this part — is that what you call it? A synthesizer?” Soonyoung questions, and Jihoon nods his head absentmindedly. “Sweet! You just need to finish the rest and you’ll be good to go. This is amazing — I already have a few ideas on how to dance to this and — “ He pauses, then turns his head to smile sheepishly at Jihoon. “Sorry, I’m rambling, aren’t I? Some people find it annoying but…I tend to do that when I’m really excited.” 

At the sound of that, Jihoon immediately says, “No, don’t apologize. I think it’s really cute how passionate you are. I’ve noticed that a lot — ” Again, he clamps his mouth shut when he realizes what he said. “I — I mean…”

 _Oh my god, Jihoon,_ he thinks miserably when he sees Soonyoung quirk a curious eyebrow at him. _When will you learn to just shut the fuck up?_

“You’ve noticed that a lot, huh?” Soonyoung questions as a slow, mischievous smirk curls on his lips. He leans closer to Jihoon and rests his chin in the palm of his hand, tilting his head. “Tell me what else you’ve noticed about me, Jihoonie.”

Jihoon thinks he somehow has the ability to turn as red as his flannel, or perhaps as red as Soonyoung’s hair, but either way, he’s embarrassed for exposing himself unintentionally. Kwon Soonyoung isn’t good for his heart, and the result of it is apparent on his face.

“Nothing,” he says, voice cracking just a smidge from how nervous he is. “Just that.”

Soonyoung hums, sounding intrigued. “Oh? But you’re nervous,” he drawls, voice turning low. “You wouldn’t be so nervous if you hadn’t noticed anything else about me, right, Jihoonie? Go on, tell me, I’d love to hear it.”

Jihoon feels as though his tongue had thickened up inside his mouth like yeast does when it’s risen. “Um,” he squeaks, breaths becoming stilted as he struggles to think of something clever. “I’ve — I’ve noticed you’re, uh, wearing c-contacts today…?” It comes out more of a question than a statement but he can’t focus on his uncertainty when he realizes Soonyoung is still leaning forward.

Soonyoung hums. “What else have you noticed?”

“Uh, your mullet...you’ve — you’ve been growing your hair out and — and — ” The words on Jihoon’s tongue dies when he realizes he’s beginning to go cross-eyed from how _close_ Soonyoung is to his face. “Um — you’re — I’m noticing that...you’re really, _really_ close.”

Laughing, Soonyoung pulls away with a cheeky smile. “I’m flattered,” he coos, chuckling when Jihoon ducks his head to regain his breath. “Let’s get started on this exam then, shall we?”

Nodding, whispering a meek, “Let’s,” Jihoon sets to work on creating more melodies and tries not to think about the burning gaze on the side of his face.

Contrary to what he expected considering his ridiculously huge crush on the dance, they work really well together in terms of communication. Jihoon thought he would’ve been turned into a stuttering, bumbling buffoon and embarrass himself to the core — as if he hadn’t embarrassed himself earlier and exposing all his secret doings — but their dynamic is quite the opposite of what he originally thought.

Soonyoung makes collaborating with him easy though. He’s surprisingly straightforward with his opinions, telling Jihoon what he likes and what sounds weird to him. Sometimes, if he’s feeling confident enough, he’ll even suggest a few ideas of his own, humming a tune and hoping Jihoon understands what he’s trying to convey. 

The producer takes everything with a grain of salt, works diligently to fulfill Soonyoung’s desires because he’s whipped like that. He turns Soonyoung’s ideas into reality and has to keep in mind that even if he’s the one producing the track, Soonyoung will be the one to really convey what the song means through his dancing. It makes Jihoon all the more eager to see the ending results. 

As they’re bouncing ideas off each other enthusiastically and working on the chorus part of the song, the long, shrill ring of the bell interrupts their focus and startles them back into reality.

Checking his phone, Jihoon frowns when he realizes that they’ve been so invested in getting started on the track that they’ve completely lost sense of time. 

“Wow,” he marvels, clearing his throat. “Well, I guess that’s all we can do today. I’ll just save our progress in a USB and connect it to my phone later. I’ll send you the file so you can get started in choreographing for it, how does that sound?”

“Sounds perfect,” Soonyoung beams, then pats Jihoon’s shoulder and stands up. “Good job today, Jihoonie. You’ve worked hard. I’m looking forward to seeing the end results of this project of ours.”

Jihoon smiles up at him, shy. “I look forward to seeing it too.”

“Text me sometime so we can meet up and do this again,” Soonyoung says, swinging his bag over his shoulder. “It’s really fun working with you. See you later, Jihoonie!”

Jihoon can only muster up the strength to wave his fingers as he watches Soonyoung leave with three other people. He waits for a moment, then two, then sighs wistfully, heart full to the brim with contentment and a pleased smile on his face as he turns to save his file in his USB.

“So…” a voice drawls beside him, causing the USB to slip from his fingers. “You and Soonyoung, huh?”

Jihoon whips his head around and meets Seungcheol’s cheshire grin, the older man looking smug as hell. Standing behind him with a hand wrapped around the strap of his duffel bag is Hansol, who also has a smile on his face albeit a little more subtle than Seungcheol. The look on both of their faces combined can only mean Jihoon’s in for endless teasing and red ears.

“What about me and Soonyoung?” Jihoon questions through gritted teeth.

Seungcheol and Hansol only look at each other and share a laugh, smiles curling wider and eyes glinting mischievously. 

“Your face says it all, hyung,” Hansol chuckles, then taps Seungcheol on the shoulder. “You coming with? I’m picking Seungkwannie up from his vocal classes. He has the same class as Jeonghannie-hyung, right? We can walk together.”

Nodding, Seungcheol grabs his bag and stands up. “I’ll come,” he agrees, then casts a sly glance towards Jihoon’s direction. “I’m excited to see how he’ll react once he finds out his precious _Jihoonie_ has been swooning all class period for campus’ heartthrob Kwon Soonyoung — ”

“Cheol, don’t you fucking try — ”

Jihoon makes a grab for Seungcheol’s bomber jacket but fails miserably when the older man grabs Hansol’s arm and zooms out the door with a cackle of, “Bye, _Jihoonie!”_

Groaning, Jihoon plops back in his seat and goes back to saving the file on his USB, ears red but heart pounding wildly in his chest. He harrumphs a little as he waits for the file to transfer, staring absentmindedly at the computer screen until a slow smile curls on his lips.

 _Kwon Soonyoung,_ he thinks, ejecting the USB and stuffing his things in his bag. _What is it about you that makes me feel this way?_

—

Jihoon sighs as he sips on his large cup of cola, eyes trained on his laptop screen in front of him. He’s currently at a local diner just a few blocks away from the campus — a diner that both he and Soonyoung had agreed to meet up at to continue working on their final exam together. He will admit that despite having such good chemistry with Soonyoung last time, he’s a little more nervous with how things are going to go for them this time around considering they’ll be in a different setting other than the classroom.

The diner is a lot more colorful than Jihoon would like it to be, with tiled floors and red booths and terribly bright lights. The homey atmosphere makes up for the setting though, and he supposes the cola also makes up for it, as well as the friendly waitress who’d offered him a piece of cheesecake for a student discount.

There are some students sitting scattered across the diner that Jihoon recognizes to be from the same university as him but for the most part, he doesn’t make any move to interact with any of them. While the diner is often busy at times like these, today seems to be a bit more laidback than usual. Perhaps most students have decided to migrate towards the library in order to study.

“Why the long face?” a voice muses, poking his cheek dangerously.

Whipping his head around, Jihoon glares up at Seungcheol, who’s quick to take his finger back with a cheeky dimpled grin. Beside him, Jeonghan is staring amusedly at them, and Jihoon feels his glare falter at the sight of him. Something churns in the pit of his stomach when he sees the older vocal student, as it always does when he sees him on the daily basis. Perhaps it’s because a lot of his encounters with Jeonghan have ended up with him being blackmailed and Jeonghan using said blackmail to his advantage to get what he wants. News flash: it doesn’t always end the way Jihoon hopes it would end.

Seungcheol takes the seat next to Jihoon, and Jeonghan takes the seat next to Seungcheol.

“Where’s Vernon?” Jihoon asks instead, completely ignoring Seungcheol’s question as if he didn’t hear him.

“He went to escort Seungkwan from class,” Seungcheol answers, waving over the friendly waitress from earlier. “Good afternoon, ma’am. Just the honey lemon cake for me.”

“And a strawberry milkshake for me,” Jeonghan drawls.

“Comin’ right up,” the waitress says, writing down the orders on a piece of paper. “Your orders will be out in a jiffy.” She walks away and leaves Jihoon to fend for himself.

It’s quiet for a moment, then Jeonghan speaks, which is almost always never a good thing. “So?” he asks casually, resting his cheek against his hand. “I heard the student council’s gonna be hosting a dance on Friday before exams start. Got someone in mind, Jihoonie?"

“No.” Unable to look him in the eye, Jihoon decides to pointedly stare at his plate of cheesecake, deciding the crust looks very even on all sides. His ears warm up with embarrassment, and upon hearing Seungcheol snicker, he grunts in annoyance. “I haven’t even heard of the dance until you said something about it, hyung. How would I have anyone in mind? And Friday? Isn’t that in two days?”

“Yep.” Seungcheol nods. “So it isn’t the campus’ known heartthrob — who’s an _exceptional_ dancer, by the way — who goes by the ridiculous stage name of Hoshi, a.k.a. Kwon Soonyoung?” he asks in that _I totally don’t know who that is_ tone. “You don’t have him in mind, huh?”

“It’s not ridiculous,” Jihoon grumbles, taking an abnormally large chunk of his cheesecake and shoving it in his mouth to cool down the heat on his face. “Hoshi means star in Japanese. I think it really suits him.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” Seungcheol points out smugly.

Keeping his mouth shut, Jihoon opts to ignore Seungcheol for being too nosy, instead shoving another chunk of cheesecake in his mouth to prevent himself from talking.

Jihoon likes to think he’s always been very reserved with his feelings, and even more reserved with romantic feelings. Sure he’s had love interests before but even then, it was never anything that could get him a closer label other than an acquaintance. So far, his crushes have been people intangible to him, people who've been out of his league or have never looked twice his way. He’s a romantic from a distance, deciding that keeping quiet is better than being rejected, and loving Soonyoung from afar is no different from any other crush he’s had.

It’s a bunch of wasted opportunities, he knows, but his fear of getting rejected is stronger than his desire to confess and get it over with. At least he won’t have to deal with the heartbreak and pain rejection comes with, but then again, never confessing is practically signing up to be hurt everyday.

“So...” Seungcheol trails off, and it’s then that Jihoon realizes he still hasn’t answered the question.

Opening his mouth to reply with something sarcastic and maybe a little rude, he’s interrupted with a cheerful, “Hey, Jihoonie! I was supposed to get here earlier than you but I guess you beat me to it.”

Blinking, turning his head to look at Soonyoung, Jihoon looks at the time on his screen and slowly says, “Well, you’re still early, I guess. Half an hour before we’re actually supposed to meet up.” 

Soonyoung shrugs. “I wanted to make a good impression,” he confesses.

 _You’ve already made a good impression four years ago,_ Jihoon thinks to himself miserably. _Oh, Jihoon, you whipped fucker._

Beside him, Seungcheol and Jeonghan share knowing glances but otherwise don’t say anything, and Jihoon is _grateful._

“What’s that?” Soonyoung questions, pointing at the cheesecake.

“It’s...a cheesecake,” Jihoon says slowly, confused. He pushes the plate towards Soonyoung, then grabs his cola. “Do you want some? I’m not very big on sugary things.”

“Says the one who’s drinking cola,” he hears Seungcheol mutter under his breath. 

Jihoon doesn’t have to look when he whacks the rapper’s thigh, sipping on his cola and earning himself a satisfying grunt of pain from him. On the other side of him, Soonyoung doesn’t seem to catch onto what’s happening before his very eyes.

“Ah, no, it’s okay. I don’t really like sweets,” Soonyoung starts, then pauses. Eyes glinting, he turns to Jihoon and says, “But you happen to be the only sweet thing I like.”

Jihoon, who’d been in the middle of taking another sip of his cola, starts choking on the spot. Abruptly, ripping the cup away from his lips, he pounds on his chest hard and tries to hold in some coughs he knows will probably make him look _very_ unattractive. His eyes water from the force of the burning sensation in the back of his throat and he lets out a groan, reaching up to wipe his eyes beneath his glasses.

Beside him, Seungcheol and Jeonghan burst into cackles, the both of them no stranger to such reactions from Jihoon. The students around them turn their heads to look at them in distaste, and Jihoon feels his ears turn hot as he tries to calm himself down from the sudden attack of cola still stuck in his throat.

“Jesus,” he rasps, voice thick as he swallows down the remnants of cola still lingering on his tongue. He turns his head to stare at Soonyoung, who’s outright grinning at him. “Can you, like, _not_ say those types of things out of nowhere?”

“Depends,” Soonyoung says with a shrug. “Do you like it?”

“Do I what now?”

“Do you like it?” repeats Soonyoung, placing his chin in the palm of his hand. “When I flirt with you, I mean.”

It’s in that moment that Jihoon thinks every cell in him just... _dies._ The gears in his brain have stopped turning, his limbs have stopped cooperating with him, and his eyes have widened to the size of the cheesecake plate. The only thing that seems to be working is his heart, which is pounding rapidly against his ribcage and threatening to leap into his throat from all the butterflies swarming in his stomach. He feels like he can just... _throw up_ , but in a weirdly not so disgusting way. 

Seungcheol and Jeonghan — those _damn_ idiots — fall into a fit of laughter again and this time, they won’t shut _up._ Soonyoung, ever so polite, doesn’t seem to mind them like Jihoon does.

“What do you mean _flirt_ — you’re flirting?” Jihoon croaks pathetically, trying to ignore the two buffoons beside him as he points a weak finger at himself. “With _me?_ Flirting — you’re flirting? _Me?”_

Soonyoung looks embarrassed as he reaches up to scratch the back of his head. “Was I not obvious enough?”

“Obvious…?” Jihoon questions, voice getting higher from how tight his throat is. “Obvious about what? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Instead of answering his question, Soonyoung only shakes his head and sighs, “Never mind. Forget about what I said. Anyway, how’s the song coming along? I’ve started choreographing ever since you sent me the file, so it’s good to stay on top of things…”

Unable to interrupt Soonyoung, not quite having the heart to bring up what had happened earlier, Jihoon can only nod. Quietly, he returns his attention back to his computer screen and tries to focus on what the dancer is saying, nodding absentmindedly to his rambling and throwing in a few hums to seem engaged in the conversation, but he finds himself struggling to concentrate as his mind goes back to what Soonyoung had said earlier.

 _What the hell does ‘obvious enough’ mean?_ he ponders to himself. _Does it mean what I think it means? But then...then that would mean…_

“...right, Jihoonie?”

“Yup,” Jihoon says distantly, even popping the ‘p.’

Soonyoung chuckles. “I knew you weren’t listening to me. I asked if we were gonna fail this project and you agreed.” He quirks an eyebrow. “Unless, of course, you actually _do_ want to fail, then by all means — ”

“Wait, what? No!” Jihoon shakes his head frantically. “Sorry, I’m just — ” _Thinking about that tiny possibility that you might like me too,_ “ — really out of it today.” 

“Here you are!” The waitress comes back and slides a plate of honey lemon cake towards Seungcheol, and a strawberry milkshake to Jeonghan. “Anything else I can get you folks?”

“No, ma’am,” the four of them say in unison, and so she walks away.

“Are you feeling sick?” Soonyoung questions, leaning over and placing the back of his hand against Jihoon’s forehead. “You should’ve told me so we could reschedule this date — ” _Reschedule this what now._ “I really wouldn’t have minded so long as you feel better. We can work on the exam another time if you want — ”

“I’m not sick,” Jihoon declares, mourning the loss of Soonyoung’s hand when he takes it away from his forehead. “I’m just overthinking again.” _I tend to do that a lot when I think about you._ “It’s a part of the process, don’t worry.”

“A date, huh…” Seungcheol mumbles almost inaudibly beside him, and Jihoon has to restrain himself from twisting around and dropping his fist on the rapper’s thigh.

“If you say so,” Soonyoung shrugs, still looking a little worried. “Anyway, back to what I was saying, and _hopefully_ you’ll listen this time — ” Jihoon smiles sheepishly at him, ears turning warm. “Like I said before…”

So there they go again, gradually getting into the setting of bouncing ideas off each other and improvising from what the other person has to say. It’s easy, breezy, beautiful, and their gradual eagerness is beginning to overflow the more excited they get talking about their ideas. There’s no pause between their words and their only focus is on themselves, the music, and each other. Neither of them notice when Seungcheol and Jeonghan leave the diner, both of them too invested in their ideas and shared laughter.

“It sounds great, Jihoonie,” Soonyoung praises, leaning forward on his elbows. “You really know your craft. This is amazing! We’ll pass this exam with flying colors.”

Jihoon flushes a little at the praise. “Thanks,” he says, a little shyly. “Um, so — ”

“By the way, are you going to that dance on Friday?” questions Soonyoung.

“D-Dance?” Jihoon stutters, caught a little off guard by the sudden question. “Um, I don’t think so. I only just found out about it earlier today, so there’s a high chance I won’t go. Parties aren’t really my thing anyway, and I don’t really have an outfit for something like that. I don’t even _know_ anyone who’d go, so that’ll be kind of awkward for me. I’m not much of a party guy.”

Soonyoung pouts at him, fiddling with his mullet a little. “You should totally go,” he insists. “I’m gonna go with a couple of my friends, and I think Wonwoo and Mingyu are dates. Cheol-hyung and Jeonghannie-hyung too. So...? How about it?”

 _Maybe if you asked me..._ Jihoon thinks sarcastically. _Ugh, who am I kidding?_

“I’ll think about it,” is what he says instead, and Soonyoung grins at him.

“Nice!” he says with a beam. “Looking forward to it. So about the bridge of the song...I was thinking about something with, like, bells or chimes. Soft yet emotional, you know? And, oh! How about a white noise sound when we get back into the hook…”

 _There he goes again,_ Jihoon thinks fondly, shaking his head with a smile. _If this is all it takes to see you smile, maybe I’ll consider going to the dance after all._

—

Jihoon honestly should’ve seen it coming. He even said it himself that he’d consider it, but he didn’t expect to actually _go_ to the dance in the end. It was all just empty words and false hope for the fact that maybe, _just maybe_ , Soonyoung would consider asking him to go, but alas, the dancer hasn’t said a word to him.

Perhaps this was all his fault in the beginning. After their little “date” and bouncing ideas off each other for a good three hours — Soonyoung’s words, not his — Jihoon walked back to his dorm with a giddy heart and an unusually big smile on his face. Maybe he didn’t smile very often, because Mingyu was immediately weirded out by the curl of his lips and asked if he was alright, to which he scowled at and Mingyu deemed him normal.

“So a little birdy told me you and the nation’s heartthrob went on a date,” Mingyu had told him with a cheshire grin that vaguely reminded Jihoon of Seungcheol’s own.

“It wasn’t a date,” Jihoon grumbled. He threw his bag on the rack. “Besides, it was Soonyoung’s words, not mind."

“I didn’t mention a name, did I?"

The next thing Kim Mingyu experienced was a body flying at him and tackling him to the ground. While Jihoon may not be as tall as the average male, his workout ethic had proved to have some pretty promising results, for he could easily pin Mingyu to the floor with minimal struggle.

“Uncle!” Mingyu cried. “Uncle! Uncle! I give! _Hyuuuuuung!"_

With a scoff, Jihoon had clambered off of the younger man’s back and crossed his arms. “You gonna tease me too? Besides, what’s this I hear about you and Wonwoo being dates to the dance?"

Mingyu shrugged. “We’re dates,” he said plainly. “I mean, what else is there to say? I asked him if he’d like to go with me, he said yes, simple as that.”

“What the hell? And you didn’t tell me? Weren’t you bawling your eyes out over him earlier?”

“I thought we mutually agreed not to speak about that.”

Sighing, Jihoon threw his body on Mingyu’s bunk. “Whatever. It’s not like I’m going to that dance anyway. Parties aren’t my thing. Not after what happened with that idiot who spilled his drink all over me. Bummer I didn’t catch his face.”

“Nuh-uh-uh, hyung!” Mingyu exclaimed as he got up from his place on the floor. “You really think I’ll leave you here so you can feed into your anti-social behavior and wallow in your own tears when you realize you probably should’ve taken the opportunity?” He walked towards their little shared closet and pulled out a pile of clothes. “I even took the time to buy you clothes! So you’re going to this damn party whether you like it or not.”

“What the hell?” Jihoon screeched as he shot up from his position incredulously. “Aren’t you broke?! How the hell did you afford that?”

Mingyu clicked his tongue. “It doesn’t matter. You are going to this dance, hyung, you can’t say no. I did not waste my money on this outfit just for you to decide that watching Studio Ghibli films is better.”

“Don’t insult Studio Ghibli like that!” Jihoon sniffed, but he got up from Mingyu’s bed and took the clothes in his hands, unfolding the shirt and pants to get a better look at them. “They’re... _okay_ , I guess. Gyu, you really didn’t have to do this, you know?”

“Hyung, your side of the closet is literally all black shirts and red flannels,” Mingyu deadpanned, crossing his arms. “Just say you appreciate me already so I don’t have to worry about literally dragging you to the dance.”

Jihoon chuckled at that. “Alright. Thanks, Gyu.”

And so he finds himself here.

Sighing, feeling a headache come on, Jihoon tries to ignore the blue light washing over them as he walks over to the food table. The music is booming obnoxiously through the speakers, and it makes his slight headache intensify just a little. He knew he shouldn’t have agreed to come here when he knew _damn_ well that he would be ditched for the second Mingyu saw Wonwoo. 

Now here he is, pathetically trying to make himself look busy by faking interest with what’s on the food table: spilt punch that’s most probably spiked with alcohol, half eaten tarts, a few candy wrappers, and — _dear god, is that a condom packet?_ Jihoon knew he wasn’t a party guy for a reason, but this is just a little too far. 

Staying away from the messy side of the table, Jihoon grabs a red solo cup from its stack and sighs, filling it with water. He’d rather play it safe now than face a raging hangover the next morning after, and he would like to work on tweaking the last few touch ups for his track so he can send it to Soonyoung later and have the dancer finish the choreography.

“Jihoonie!”

 _Speak of the angel and he shall appear,_ Jihoon thinks, turning his head to find Soonyoung stumbling towards him with a flushed face. He’s got on a plain white shirt with a long teal printed jacket thrown on, and red pants that match the color of his hair. _Oh god...he looks good._

“Jihoonie, you made it!” Soonyoung exclaims, eyes glossy as he attempts to walk straight, only to stumble to the side with a giggle.

 _He’s drunk,_ Jihoon muses to himself, feeling amused at the sight. _Cutie._

“Careful there, tiger,” he chuckles, watching as Soonyoung braces himself against the wall. “Maybe you should tone it down with the alcohol. You’re pretty wasted already.”

Soonyoung gives him a dopey grin. “You look good,” he declares, completely ignoring Jihoon’s warning. “I’m glad you came. Are you up to dancing?” He jerks a thumb towards the crowd in the middle.

Jihoon, still attempting to get rid of the fluttering of his heart at the first statement, shakes his head when he sees the amount of people in the middle. “No thanks,” he says with a wave of his hand. “Not my thing. You should dance though, you’re pretty good at it."

_Oh, for fuck’s sake, Jihoon. You never shut up, do you?_

Fortunately, Soonyoung doesn’t say anything about his slip up. Instead he seems to ponder on something for a moment, then his face brightens up again. Walking over clumsily, he latches onto Jihoon’s wrist and says, “Come with me. I wanna — I wanna try something. My head hurts.”

Confused, feeling tingles where Soonyoung’s encases his wrist, Jihoon questions, “Where are we going?” 

Soonyoung doesn’t answer him. He keeps walking, surprisingly straight for someone who’s drunk. Jihoon finds them walking out the doors of the gym, the music deftly thudding against the walls as the doors behind them close shut. The next thing he knows, they’re standing outside in the small lawn, the stars twinkling above them and a gentle breeze flowing with a gentle hum.

“Soonyoung?” Jihoon questions again, hesitantly. “What are we doing? Are you feeling sick? Do you need to throw up?”

Soonyoung stops tugging at him, but he doesn’t let go of his wrist. He turns around, eyes glinting as brightly as the stars above them. “Jihoonie...let’s dance?”

Jihoon is dumbfounded. “Dance?” he repeats. “But...the music…”

Instead of speaking, Soonyoung grabs Jihoon’s other hand in his and smiles at him. “Let’s dance,” he repeats, and he slowly starts swaying them from side to side, trying to ease Jihoon into it.

Jihoon ducks his head, ears hot and red and throat dry. He’s not sure how he’s supposed to feel about this, but the loud beating of his heart in his ears tells him otherwise. Soonyoung’s body is warm against his, surprisingly sturdy for someone who’d drunk a ton earlier. He tries not to think about it too much as he tries to match Soonyoung’s side to side movements, albeit a little stiff.

“Relax,” Soonyoung soothes in his ear, and it makes Jihoon involuntarily shiver when he feels the dancer rub circles with his thumbs on his knuckles. “It’s just us out here.”

Jihoon inhales deeply, trying to calm the rapid racing of his heart. “Sorry,” he can’t help but say. “I’m not — I’m not used to this whole...thing.”

Soonyoung stops his swaying. “Then,” he starts, voice low. “Can I try something?”

Jihoon looks up at him confusedly. “Um...I — I guess?”

He’s not sure what he’d been expecting. Perhaps he thought Soonyoung would bust out into some pretty sick dance moves to make him laugh and relax, or perhaps he’d expected Soonyoung to start ridiculously serenading him out of nowhere. Both options seemed pretty reasonable considering where their friendship stands as of now, but yet, Soonyoung does none of those things.

He kisses Jihoon instead.

Jihoon can feel it when Soonyoung leans forward and presses their lips together softly, tasting ever so faintly of orange juice and something tangy. He can feel his heartbeat skyrocket in his chest, causing all the blood circulating through his body to rush to his head instead, making his face hot with...giddiness? Embarrassment? He doesn’t quite know yet. He feels as though all of his senses have shut down to instead focus on the sensation of Soonyoung’s warm lips.

 _What the fuck,_ Jihoon thinks to himself, stilling. _What the fuck, what the fuck, whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck_ —

Soonyoung moves before he can properly collect his thoughts, their noses nuzzling together as he deepens the kiss ever so slightly, causing a surprised gasp to escape the small parting of Jihoon’s lips. Something inside him snaps, an impulsive little thing, and he finds himself suddenly pushing forward reflexively, spurring on the kiss and feeling a deep satisfaction sink into his chest when Soonyoung lets out a surprised noise, most likely not having expected such an enthusiastic reaction.

The dancer pulls him in tighter nevertheless, his lips beginning to move and knead gently against Jihoon’s, perhaps asking for consent to continue. Jihoon only moves with him, accepting the touch as he savors the taste of tanginess from Soonyoung’s lips. His mind goes blank, and all his senses have revived to that of touch, sound, and taste. Every nerve inside him is lit on fire, and he finds himself being extra sensitive to everything Soonyoung is doing. He fists his hands into Soonyoung’s jacket, tugging him closer, impossibly closer.

A soft noise escapes him when Soonyoung takes his bottom lip between his teeth, gently at first, then he bites down softly. His hands caress Jihoon’s waist, and it draws a whimper out of the producer, who pulls away for a chance to to breathe only for his breath to get stolen once more when Soonyoung kisses him again, more eagerly this time and less hesitant.

Jihoon can feel his tongue sliding gently across his lips, seeking acceptance, and he opens his mouth to him, nearly sighing when their tongues make contact. Soonyoung releases a throaty groan, pleased with his reaction as he attempts to deepen the kiss.

Jihoon doesn’t want this to stop. Oh god, he never wants it to stop, but…

 _This is wrong,_ comes a whisper in the back of his mind. _He’s drunk. You’re taking advantage of him._

Slowly, he tries softening the kiss, pulling his tongue back and closing his mouth to resort to closed kisses instead. His breath is harsh by the end of it all, heartbeat still skyrocketing and face still warm, whether from exertion or embarrassment, he doesn’t really know. 

“Soonyoung — ” he gasps, properly pulling his head away. “Soonyoung, wait — we...we shouldn’t do this. We can’t. It’s — This is wrong…”

Soonyoung’s lips are swollen when he pulls away, his eyes glazed over, but Jihoon can make out the hurt in them.

“Wow,” he utters quietly. “I didn’t think you were one of those people, Jihoon.”

Still trying to calm down from his euphoria, Jihoon questions. “What do you mean ‘one of those people?’ I’m...Soonyoung, that’s not...you’re _drunk_ , Soons. I can’t — I can’t take advantage of that.” He sighs, stepping out of the dancer’s hold for a moment and rubbing his forehead in distress. “Come on. Let’s get you back inside. I’ll — I’ll ask one of your friends to bring you back to your dorm — ”

“Jihoon.” There’s a hand on his wrist before he can take another step away. “Jihoon, wait.”

Turning to Soonyoung, Jihoon stares at him in question. There’s still disappointment in the pit of his stomach, but the look in Soonyoung’s eyes tells him that’ll change soon.

“Jihoon,” Soonyoung says again. “I’m not drunk.”

Jihoon blinks. “What?” he croaks. 

“I’m not drunk,” Soonyoung repeats. “I haven’t drunk a single cup since I came here.”

The words don’t quite register in Jihoon’s brain as much as his disbelief does. He’s not quite sure what to feel. Relieved? Disappointed? There’s too many questions and not enough answers.

“Then...why?” he whispers. “Why did you...why were you acting like that? _Drunk._ Why didn’t you say anything?” A sudden, horrible realization overcomes him. “Were you planning this the whole time?” He looks up at Soonyoung, feeling something ugly sink into his stomach. “Soonyoung…”

“It’s not what you think,” Soonyoung says, a pleading look in his eyes. “I...I wanted to see what would happen because — because I was scared of how you’d react if you found out I wanted to do this sober — ”

“You wanted to do this sober?” Jihoon cuts in, even more confused. “What the hell is that supposed to mean — ”

“I like you, Jihoon,” Soonyoung interrupts, suddenly turning shy. “I like you...a _lot.”_

Jihoon doesn’t know what to believe at this point. On one hand, he should be happy, right? Happy that his long time crush of four years reciprocates his feelings. Happy that his fear of being rejected won’t be too bad anymore. On the other hand...it doesn’t feel genuine at all and maybe that’s a reasonable thing to think considering they’ve only truly gotten to know each other within the span of three days.

“How…” he trails off, suddenly feeling empty. “How can you like me? We’ve...we barely know each other, Soonyoung.”

Soonyoung sighs, releasing his hold on Jihoon’s wrist and shoving his hands in his pockets. “Would it be creepy if I told you I asked Mingyu to keep tabs on you?”

“What…?”

“We met before, Jihoon,” Soonyoung continues. “It was at a different party. I can’t remember who hosted it, but that’s not the point. I wasn’t looking where I was going, I had a drink in my hand...I bumped into you and I spilled my drink all over you.”

Suddenly Jihoon remembers it all now. “That was you…?”

“I think that’s the first time someone who wasn’t my friend cursed me out,” Soonyoung goes on, ignoring his question. “Your words weren’t very pretty either but...for some reason, it only made me more interested in you. I thought you were cute...you were so angry that you couldn’t even look at me. I even offered to wash your shirt but you only cursed me out again and stormed away, saying something about how Mingyu’s going to pay you back later. It was a little funny, I’m not gonna lie but I still felt bad about your shirt.”

Jihoon feels his ears turn hot. “So...you asked Mingyu — ?”

“Ever since then, I asked Mingyu everything I could to know you more,” Soonyoung confesses, looking sheepish. “My original intention was to get you a new shirt to replace the old one, but...I ended up liking you along the way, so...I’ll be yours if you’ll have me.”

It’s quiet for a moment as Jihoon takes the time to process Soonyoung’s words. It’s definitely not what he’d been expecting. Had he known it was _Soonyoung_ who’d spilled his drink all over him that time, perhaps he would’ve been a little more careful with his mouth and used that opportunity to his advantage instead. 

“Are you mad?” asks Soonyoung carefully after a moment. “Jihoonie?”

Jihoon licks his lips, which are still tingling from what had happened moments before. The ugly feeling dissipates into something more mellow, but it doesn’t make the situation okay.

“I’m...disappointed,” Jihoon says after a long pause, and Soonyoung nods understandingly. “But...I’ll consider it.”

“Consider what?”

Jihoon flashes him a cheeky smile. “Being yours.”

Soonyoung’s mouth drops open a little. “Wait...Wait, really? You’ll — we’ll be — ?”

“If!” exclaims Jihoon, pointing a strict finger in Soonyoung’s direction. “If we get a perfect score on our exam...so? You down for a challenge?”

Scoffing, Soonyoung crosses his arms. “Please! You’re speaking to the greatest dancer on this campus. I’ll make sure we pass with flying colors, and then…” He pauses, eyes slyly moving to Jihoon’s, “I’ll make sure I’m yours by the end of our exams.”

Jihoon rolls his eyes, looking away to hide the redness of his cheeks. “Don’t make a promise you can’t keep.”

Needless to say, by the time their results are out and they see their scores, Jihoon ends up eating his own words when he sees the big, red _100_ mark next to their names. Soonyoung is a smug bastard beside him, humming knowingly in Jihoon’s ear before pressing a big, wet kiss on his cheek in front of _everyone_ to see.

“So, Jihoonie,” Soonyoung drawls, draping himself over Jihoon’s backside. “Which nickname do you like better? Baby? Love? Darling?”

Jihoon rolls his eyes and doesn’t acknowledge the redness of his ears. 

“Take me out on a date first, then we’ll talk.”

* * *

BIG, BIG thank you to my oomf, @soonhoonest on Twitter who created this artwork for this fic. Thank you so much, I love it 😭❤️ The expression on Jihoon’s face, the cheesecake and cola, Soonyoung’s smirk — it’s perfect. Thank you!!!

**Author's Note:**

> This wasn’t supposed to be 10k words ;; at most, at least 5k, but I didn’t expect to reach this number. I wasn’t expecting to drag this on for so long but I’m surprised I got this out within what? Three days since ’96 liners concept photos were released? Ahh, if only I could write this easily with IYDMP, then I’d maybe reach chapter 10 by now ;;
> 
> Honestly, this wasn’t as “90’s concept” as I would’ve liked, and I haven’t mentioned Soonyoung’s mullet much (which, by the way, OH MY GOD) but I am living for flirty Soonyoung and fragile Jihoon >< I like this trope a lot, HAHAHA. Please handle our Jihoonie with care ;;
> 
> There were some scenes I wanted to add to make the story flow more naturally but in the end, I decided not to so I wouldn’t drag this fic out for too long >< but I’m pretty happy with how this came out, so eh.
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mistehri)  
> [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.qa/mistehri)
> 
> As always, feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading! ❤


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